The oral and nasal cavities are frequent ports of entry for many local and/or systemic infections caused by fungi, viruses and bacteria. The purpose of routine oral hygiene is to reduce the number of these germs and thereby reducing the risk of infections. A general principle of microbiology is that a wet environment will have germs present. Most germs require a wet environment to remain viable and to multiply. A wet toothbrush provides a perfect environment for the growth of these germs, therefore, becoming, in of itself, a potential source of tooth decay, gum disease, gingivitis, pharyngeal, gastrointestinal, respiratory or systemic infections with the possibility of bringing about illnesses that could even be life threatening such as pneumonias, strokes and heart attacks. These infections can be transferred to another member or members of the family by cross contamination which occurs when a contaminated toothbrush gets in contact with one another or on a contaminated surface like the traditional toothbrush holder or the glass where toothbrushes are sometimes kept or on the sink surface where they sometimes lay. These surfaces are almost always wet and therefore infected. There are many other ways in which a toothbrush can become contaminated which will not be discussed here. For the purposes of this invention, what is to be discussed here, is how to reduce the contamination of toothbrushes regardless of the origin of the contamination in order to reduce the frequency of oro-pharyngeal or systemic infections which are the cause of the loss of millions of man work hours every year.
It is known that reducing the accumulation of bacteria and germs, in a toothbrush, that may be transferred to the mouth during regular use, can aid in oral health. Reducing the bacterial growth within and the contamination of the toothbrush that occurs between uses in daily brushing of the teeth will improve oral hygiene and the overall health of an individual.
During the times in between regular brushing of teeth, bacteria and other germs which can become entrapped in the wet bristles of the toothbrush, accumulate and proliferate in the humid and warm bathroom environment of the bathroom. Toothbrushes can become contaminated with microorganisms such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, and various other periodontal and environmental germs during regular use. While the toothbrush waits for its next use, typically a half-day later, it remains damp or wet. Subsequent rinsing of the toothbrush prior to its use will not remove the bacterias and germs that have proliferated. Traditional toothbrush holders by their design may further foster a wet environment and cause the toothbrush bristles to sit in a wet surface preventing the toothbrush from drying and hence fostering bacterial growth and accumulation. These bacterias and germs will be transferred to the oral cavity during all subsequent uses.
Devices to reduce bacterial contamination in toothbrushes are known. In particular, several existing devices provide a means, in between use, to immerse a toothbrush head into antiseptic liquid (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,448,231; 3,904,362; 4,585,119; 4,915,219; 5,566,823; 6,360,884; and 6,702,113) or antiseptic gas or vapor (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,486,957; 1,696,706; and 1,708,423). While these devices employ various means to sanitize a toothbrush they are problematic in that they require multiple components, complicated assemblies, and the use of electrical components and/or antiseptics in one form or another, which results in increased costs and decreased portability. These costly assemblies, because of their cumbersome nature, are not easy to use and therefore are not appealing to the general public. There remains a need for our apparatus and method to sanitize toothbrushes simple enough to be appealing to the general public and inexpensive and simple enough to motivate the general public to use it. This will go a long way in improving public health.